Pencil sharpener



Aug. 16, 1932. 1 R. LovELAND PENCIL SHARPENER Filed April 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet Aug. 16, 1932. R. LovELAND PENCIL SHARPENER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 2o. 19:51

Egg. I4.

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES LAWRENCE R. LovELAND, or WASRINGTN. DISTRICT or COLUMBIA y rENcrLsnARrENER Application' med Ap'riifzo,

This invention relates to pencil Sharpeners,

of thel type having a pair of rotary cone cutters, the'surfaces of which are provided with the well-known helical cutting edges which latter upon rotation cut away the wood casing of a lead pencil, and also sharpen a point upon the graphite core. i

An object of the invention is to provide a pencil Sharpener that will remove the wood l casing from the end of a' pencil and expose a portion of unsharpened graphite core, and also provide a pointed extremity upon the end of said graphite core. A Afurther object is to provide a cutter E wheel with'two'cutti-ng areas separated bya smooth 4Surface VVcylindrical Section constituting a non-cuttingvarea. f f

A-urther object is to provide a-sectional cutter, whereby' worn cutting fsectionsrnaybe '20 inserted in the Sharpener.

Fig. 1 illustrates aside elevation ofL a prev:Eerred construction of the Sharpener;

Fig.`2^i s` a side view of a portion `thereof i showingthe gear assembly in dotted-lines;

Fig. 3 is a broken view onthe'line 3 3, of Fig. 1, looking from-the left; y f

Fig. '4 isan enlarged-'view of acutter wheel;

- Fig; 5 is a side viewof'the'cutter wheel '30 looking from the right;

.Fig 6 is a viewofl a Vbearing which sup- -ports onevend of the `gear assemblyyr Fig. 7 is a sectionalview of a modified construction with some of the gears located in the upper part, but involvingv thesame f principles of -construction and operation ,1v-

' Fig. li8 isa plan view'in elevation'l'ooking `:Erorn'the left ofFig. 7,` 'A f Fig. 9'is a sidev view 'of the pencil guideand cutter together with a shaft supportingtwo gears and a portion of the handle;

. Fig. 10 is a side view of thecutters andthe Vgear assembly;` Fig. 11 isa Side view of the separated sectionsofacutter; l A f y F ig. 1 2 is a vertical longitudinal section j of a cutter showingtheiparts assembled; l. l

Figs. l13 and 14`are side elevations of secftions'ofithe cutter,"

PATENT ori-ICE .1931. l Serial No. 531,496.

Fig. 15 is a Side elevation .ofthe pencil guide mounted upon its Support;

Fig.- 16 i-S a side Velevation of the pencil guide detached from itssupport; v

Fig. 17 is a view ofthe right end of the`55 pencily guides yshown in Fig. 16,'

Figs. 18 and 19 are front:` and side elevationsf'of Vthe support, Fig. 19 showing pins `which support the ends of the pencil guide;

F ig. .2O is a view in elevation of an incomp pletely sharpened pencil; and

Fig. 21 is a side view in elevation of a completely sharpened pencil.

In Fig. 1, a hollow heinispherical case 1 is provided with a base 2'by which it may bei 65 Secured to a support; a handle 3 is mounted ,upon a shaft 4, the latter actuating a train of -gears 5, described-hereafter, thegears 5 being' housed within the case 1.y A .shavings lboXf 6 is detachably inounteduponthe case' 70 :l1 by meansfoflugs 7 7 :(Figs. 2 and 3) which latter are adapted ,to engage Spring clips 8 8, .Secured to the insidesurfacesof the wall of the box 6.- Withinthe bex 6. and supported by shafts 9 9, arera pair of ro- 75 Jtatable cone cutters, one of which is Shown -at 10 in Figs. l and 4, the cutters being driven. by thetrain off'gears k5 upon the rotation of the handle 3. In Fig. 7, the shaft '4. passes through partitions 51,:52 .and upon so Said shaft-4 is mounted the mainz gear 53'by the key-70, and also gear 33. The gear55 *andthe side56 of the Acutter gear box 20 --are journaled upon said shaft. 4, and/are driven `by gear 49a fixed upon a shaft with 85 f gear 50a which is in turn driven by gear .53. 4.'1`heshaving box 6a in Fig.'7, Aas .shown asa drawer. l

The cone cutter 10 in Fig. 4, is constructed lwith a wood cutting area 11, `a Smooth-sur-- rface non-cutting area 12, andra point sharpening area 13.1v The smooth surface-Section 12 is preferablyintegral with the Section 11, and is provided with a hub 14, upon which iS .mounted the r`point Sharpener section 13. .95 A- pin 15, Fig. 4, ypasses through the end of the hub 14 to engage the Slot 16 in the end of the Shaft 9. In Figs. 12 and 13 the hub .14 is provided with a Vsquare opening 58 -which engages a. square end of :a sha-ft 9"100 shown in Figs. 7, 9 and 10. The point Sharpener section 13 is held in position by suitable pins 17, Which enter the holes 18. The smooth surface section 12 may be made as a separate portion as shown in Figs. 11' and 12 in which case the pins are arranged to engage both of the cutter sections.

Thevtrain of gears Within the hemis pherical case 1 includes a rotatable cutter gear box 2O and secured to its face 21 are pins 22.22', F igs; 2 andv 3,-Whieh engage and support pencil guides 23, Figs. 15, v16, 17, and 19, the pins entering holes 24 in the ends of said guides. The other ends of theguides 23 are secured to the disc A25, Figs'. 15 and '16, the disc 25 having a centralopening 26,

Figs. 7 and 8, through Which a pencil is in.-

fserteol,=and also bearing holes 27 v 'which receive and support the shafts 28 on the small endv of the cutters 10, Figs. 7,10, and 12. The cutter gear box 20 is attached to gear -55 -(see Figure 9) and is arrangedto be ro- .tated thereby through the gearsn49c, 50a, 53, iand contains planetary7 gears 29-30, mountf' 25 -ed on the shafts 9 9, the planetary gear assembly effecting va relatively rapid independ- -ent` rotation of the cutters 10 onsaidaxes 9 While the cutter gear box 2O is being rotated, the cutting' edges of the cutters. 10 thereby fso'iquiclzlyshaving off thefWood` casing of the pencil. In the Fig. 2 form the inner sideof cutter gear box 20 is provided 1with a hub `246,' supported by the hook shaped bearing 45, Fig. 6, said bearing 45 having a hole 48 -'inwvhich is supported the end ofshaft 47 which latter c`arriesgears49 and V50, shown ind-otted lines inFig. 2; the corresponding shaft 47 a and gears 49a and 50a being shown Vin Figs. 7 and 10 as located'in the upper .10 -part of the casing. Y In the construction shown in Figure 7 the 'elements ofthe gear assembly have substantially. the Ysaine ratio. as their corresponding parts shown. in Figure 2. The gear assembly 'gi-3 5 consistsof intermeshing gears of VdifferventA sizes suitably supported. The gear is secured to onevvall of cutter gear box 2O and rotates said gear box, the gear box 20 supporting the pencil guide 23 andthe cutters 5:53 10. The shaft 4 to Whichthe handle 3 is at- .tached, passes through the outer. Wallof .i-the gear box 20, andia gear 33 is-secured thereto by the key 71, Fig. 7, the gears 29-30 intermeshing with said gear said 29-30 '53 'being secured to shafts 9, the extremities 35 of Which may be slotted at 16 and support J the cutters 10, Fig. 2, the slots in this modification engaging the pinsV 15 in the ends of :the cutters as described above. This ar- 0 rangementof gears Within the gear box 2O `imparts Ya relativelyY high speed planetary rotary movement to the cutters on therotaf tion of the handle 3, thefhigh speed 'cutting action reducing the possibility of breaking `Athe graphite' core during the sharpening operation, that is to say, the cutters rotate about axis 4 at the same speed as gear box 20 and guide 23, but rotate at a higher speed about their respective shafts 9.

The construction of the cutters provides for removing the Wood casing of the pencil by the front section 11 of the cutter, a short length ofthe graphite c ore 40 of the pencil being exposed but not cut by the smooth portion 12 ofsaid cutter, as shown in Fig. 20;

- on continuing the cutting-action the wood is further cut away, and an additional portion of the graphite core exposed and the extremityV of thev graphite core sharpened as at Fig. 21 bythe point sharpening section 13 of each cutter. g l. Y ,Y

It Will be understood that the invention as here disclosed'is not limited to the details of construction shown andrdescribed, and that these may bevaried Widely Withoutdepartf ing ,from thel spiritv of the inventionasV defined by the claims. Y f i Iiclaim: Y

1.v A pencil Sharpener comprising rotatable cutters, a rotatable pencil guide, agear assembly, a rotatable gear box, said rotatable cutters and pencil guide mountedy upon said gear box, a main shaft, a handle forthe main shaft, said main shaft entering said gear box, a gear secured to said main shaft, shafts' `forsaid cutters, planetary gears within said gear box mounted upon said cutter shafts, said gear assembly imparting a rotary motion to said gear box and a lplanetary motion to said cutters. i l

2. A pencil sharpenerrcomprising a vgear assembly, amain shaft to drive said gear assembly, rotatable cutters, ya lrotatable gear box, said gear box containing cutterrshafts, planetary gears on said cutter shafts, said' .cutter shafts having endsv adapted to detachably engage the ends ofl saidcutters,tvvo cuttingsurfaces on earchk of said cutters, and Va non-cutting surfacejlocatedbetween said two cutting surfaces. j, Y K ,Y 4 ,p 3. A pencilsharpener comprising rotatable cutters, a driving gear assembly, a 'cutter gear boxfcutter .supporting shafts journaled in lsaid gear boXthe endsof saidl shafts fashioned to detachably engage said cutters," said gear,y boxcontaining planetary gears, said yplanetary gears intermeshing with said gear assembly, said planetary gears mounted upon said cutter supporting` shafts and arranged to rotate 'relatively to said gear assembly. u l 1 4. A pencil Sharpener comprising rotatable cutters, a rotatable pencil guide, a cutter gear box, said cutters and said pencil guide supported by said gear box, a maink driving shaft a gear assembly, said gear assembly arrange to be driven by saidy main driving shaft, a gear 'within said gear box/attached to said main driving shaft, planetaryV gears intermeshing with the gear in said gear box` at- "i3 tached to said main driving shaft, and said cutters arranged to rotate relatively to said pencil guide.

5. A pencil Sharpener comprising rotatable cutters, a gear assembly, a rotatable gear box, a pencil guide, said cutters and said pencil guide detachably supported upon said gear box, cutter-supporting shafts journaled in said gear box, gears upon said cutter supporting shafts and Within said gear box, said last named gears arranged to receive a planetary motion from said gear assembly.

6. A pencil sharpener comprising a casing, a main driving shaft, a main driving gear secured to said main shaft, a gear assembly, a cutter driving gear secured to said main shaft, said main driving gear connected to drive said gear assembly, a gear box, cutter supporting shafts journaled in saidgear box, planetary gears in said gear box secured to said cutter supporting shafts, and said gea-r assembly connected to rotate said gear box about its axis, and said cutter driving gear and planetary gears upon their respective supporting shafts.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

LAWRENCE R. LOVELAND. 

